Rodri has claimed that Ruben Dias is one of the most important players in the squad at Manchester City.
The pair ended their latest season at the Etihad Stadium together by winning the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League.
Now that the new Premier League campaign is around the corner, the midfielder has been speaking about the importance of his defensive teammate.
Rodri says Dias is one of City’s most important players
Speaking in a recent episode of the Official Man City Podcast, Rodri had this to say about Dias and how his absence impacts the team.
He said: “I think he had a period before the World Cup and a bit after he didn’t participate much in the team.
“It’s true that when he’s not in the team we lose a bit of character and leadership he brings to the team.
“I think to win trophies and to be consistent and never lose the focus and never lose the mentality, he’s one of the most important players.
“Of course, we have a squad of 24, 25 players and they all deserve to play and they are all important in their way but Ruben is special in this way, that’s why he’s one of the captains.”
In the Premier League, Dias didn’t feature in 12 games and out of those 12 games, City won six, drew two and lost four, keeping three clean sheets and conceding 12 goals in total.
This showcases how defensively weak Pep Guardiola’s side can be when the Portuguese international isn’t in the team.
To further highlight how much of a defensive asset he is for the team, the 26-year-old made more clearances (56) than any other City player throughout the season.
With all of that in mind, it’s easy to see why Rodri has named Dias as one of the club’s most important players and said that his absence has a big impact on the team’s defensive strength.
Looking ahead to the upcoming season, if the centre-back can play as many games as he can, he’ll surely give the treble winners a strong chance of being successful again this time around.
